Filipinos in Jeddah have been reminded to avoid fatty foods, exercise regularly, and adopt a healthy lifestyle.Philippine Consul General Pendosina Lomondot came up with the reminders as he noted that 141 Filipino workers from Saudi Arabia have died in the first nine months of the year.Of the number of deaths, 82 succumbed to cardiac arrest and other cardiovascular diseases, 29 perished in accidents, 16 died due to other illnesses and 14 passed away while still in the mother’s womb.

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia’s second largest city next to the capital of Riyadh, topped the list with 86 deaths, followed by Tabuk province with eight and Yanbu, with 6. Lomondot said the embassy has assisted in repatriating the remains of 80 of the Filipinos. Forty-four others were buried in Saudi while 17 are still pending for shipment.

“Our OFWs must control their eating habits. They must exercise, which is really the best to keep our body fit. We are the only one who can control ourselves. We all know that food here is inexpensive and we can eat any time but we are not getting younger anymore so we have to take care of ourselves," Lomondot said.

Rico Silva, who is in charge of the death section of the consulate’s Assistance to Nationals, said his office normally records an average of 15 deaths a month. “As far as I can remember, it (referring to the latest data) is higher than last year’s. It is really sad on our part to see our countrymen inside the casket and sending them home. I hope our kababayans must really take care (of themselves)," Silva said.

In a related story, the remains of Fernando Bohol, the OFW who died and was abandoned in a hospital without an identity more than four months ago, was finally repatriated to the Philippines.Silva said Bohol’s remains were taken out of the King Abd Aziz Morgue over the weekend and sent to the Philippines via Qatar Airways. - Ronaldo Concha, GMANews.TV